David Higgins on Anthony Joshua jibes: We’re from a small country, had to ruffle some feathers

Joe Hewlett 18/01/2018

Eddie Hearn announced Anthony Joshua will take on Joseph Parker at the Principality Stadium on March 31 at a recent press conference alongside Duco’s David Higgins.

Britain’s Joshua will be fighting Parker in a unification clash with the IBF, WBA, IBO and WBO belts all on the line.

Parker’s promoter Higgins paid tribute to Hearn and Matchroom Boxing for the up-front way they had handled negotiations.

“Eddie has been great to work with from day one,” Higgins said. “I know we ruffled a few feathers along the way but, as Eddie acknowledged, when you come from a small country and people perceive you as a small player, sometimes you’ve got to make a bit of noise.

“New Zealand might be a tiny country on the other side of the world but it has a hugely proud sporting tradition – and a particularly strong tradition when it comes to whipping mother England.”

AJ defended his titles most recently in October, defeating Carlos Takam via a tenth-round stoppage whilst Parker was victorious against Hughie Fury back in September, winning on points.

Parker is undefeated in 24 contests, with 18 victories inside the distance.

And Higgins has hit back at jibes towards Parker and has backed the Kiwi to become the number one heavyweight on the planet. He added: “Joseph Parker is the absolute epitome of the Kiwi sporting battler. It has been said that he is punching above his weight, but he didn’t become WBO heavyweight champion by being lucky.

“He’s never been stopped, never even been wobbled in the ring. He’s consistently fought fighters in the world’s top ten and he’s beaten them all easily. It certainly won’t be a shock to me when he beats Anthony Joshua and takes his titles back home to New Zealand.”

Joe Hewlett is lead writer for World Boxing News. Follow Joe on Twitter @Hewlett95